The Iranian women’s rugby team made history by winning the bronze medal in a continental competition. Iran emerged victorious in the third place match of the 2023 Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy held in Doha, defeating Guam 10-0 and winning the bronze medal.

In the first and second matches of the group stage, Iran triumphed over Uzbekistan 31-12 and Qatar 22-0. Although they suffered a loss against the UAE 17-0 in the third match but still progressed to the semifinals as the second team from Group B, after the UAE.

Iran’s defeat against India in the semi-final was followed by a win against Guam, resulting in them winning the bronze medal. The first and second places were taken by the UAE and India.

This was the first time in history that the Iranian women’s team won a medal in the Asia Trophy competition.

Zahra Ghorbani coached the Iranian women’s national rugby team, whose players included Hadis Ahmadi, Setayesh Shojaei, Shida Eskandari, Shaghayegh Jazebi, Mahdieh Dehghan, Mahdieh Karimi, Zohreh Eyni (captain), Asma Fakhri, Asma Babajani, Gelareh Soheili, Negin Zakeri, and Zahra Izanlou.

The Iranian men’s national team secured the ninth position in the tournament by defeating Iraq, Mongolia, and Jordan, and suffering a single loss against Bahrain.

Thailand emerged as the champions in the men’s section after defeating Bahrain. /T.T/

On Friday, Tchogha Zanbil, a prehistoric ziggurat in southwest Iran, hosted a ceremony to mark the 43rd anniversary of its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Atefeh Rashnoei, the director of the World Heritage, said they invited some children from the neighboring communities as special guests at the event, CHTN reported.

“Seeking to raise awareness and empower the local community and familiarize children with the outstanding values ​​of this World Heritage site, children aged 6 to 10 years, were invited to the event as special guests.”

In this gathering, in order to strengthen the sense of national solidarity in preserving and commemorating this treasured monument, children formed a human chain around the temple, Rashnoei said.

A chief tourist destination in Khuzestan province, the magnificent ruins of Tchogha Zanbil is considered by many the finest surviving example of Elamite architecture in the globe. It was made a UNESCO site in 1979.

Construction of the ziggurat started in c. 1250 BC upon the order of the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha (1275-1240 BC) as the religious center of Elam dedicated to the Elamite divinities Inshushinak and Napirisha.

The ziggurat overlooks the ancient city of Susa (near modern Shush) in Khuzestan Province. Reaching a total height of some 25m, the ziggurat was used to be surmounted by a temple and estimated to hit 52m during its heyday.

UNESCO says that Tchogha Zanbil is the largest ziggurat outside of Mesopotamia and the best preserved of this type of stepped pyramidal monument.

Tchogha Zanbil was excavated in six seasons between 1951 and 1961 by Roman Ghirshman, a Russian-born French archeologist who specialized in ancient Iran. It bears testimony to the unique expression of the culture, beliefs, rituals, and traditions of one of the oldest indigenous communities of Iran./T.T/

Iran delegation finished in second place in the 2022 Asian Para Games on Saturday. The Iranian athletes won 44 gold medals, 46 silver medals and 41 bronze medals.

China won the title with 214 gold medals, 167 silvers and 140 bronzes. Japan came third, winning 42 golds, 49 silvers and 59 bronzes.

South Korea finished in fourth place with 30 gold medals, 33 silvers and 40 bronzes.A total of 128 male athletes represented Iran in 16 events and 82 female athletes competed in 11 events.

Iran had finished in third place in the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Iran’s slogan in the 2022 Asian Para Games was “Faith, Iran, Honor” and the name of the delegation was “Children of Iran”.

Hangzhou 2022 took place from Oct. 22 to 28. About 3,000 athletes competed across 22 sports. /T.T/

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) sent the first shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza on Friday. Following the brutal large-scale bombing of Gaza by the Zionist regime, the IRCS announced its readiness to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

In this regard, many efforts have been made and many negotiations are still going on with the heads of the Federations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent Movement.

“Necessary arrangements have been made with the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent to send these aids.

The first shipment of aid includes almost 60 tons of medicine, medical equipment, and basic foodstuffs,” IRIB quoted Pirhossein Kolivand, head of IRCS, as saying.

Currently, many trucks at the Rafah border in Egypt are ready to be sent to Gaza as soon as the crossing opens, Kolivand added.

He also highlighted that three mobile hospitals are ready to be established on the Gaza border to help the casualties. To do so, the international consultations and negotiations are ongoing.

The second relief aid is also being prepared to be sent via sea. “Another consignment of humanitarian aid of 20,000 tons will be sent by ship on Monday,” he added.

Health ministry negotiating to help

Following the humanitarian crisis caused by the Zionist regime’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, the Health Ministry is negotiating with international bodies and organizations to provide assistance to people.

Hossein Farshidi, the deputy health minister, has announced that the Ministry is ready to provide any kind of aid to the oppressed people of Gaza, IRNA reported.

Mohammad-Hossein Niknam, another health official, in separate calls with Mohammad Abdel-Ahad, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Iran, as well as the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund in the country, highlighted the mission of international organizations in humanitarian affairs and human rights and emphasized the need to provide international aid.

Also, in a letter to the head of the World Health Organization, the Medical Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemned the attack on hospitals and medical staff in Gaza and warned about the critical health and medical conditions in the region.

Moreover, Kolivand sent a message to Mohammed Al-hadid, his Jordan counterpart.

Referring to the large number of civilians, particularly women and children, who were killed and injured in armed conflicts in Gaza, Kolivand announced readiness to send humanitarian relief consignments as well as dispatch medical teams to Jordan to treat injured Palestinians. /T.T/

Lobat Taghavi, an Iranian female scientist, won the second prize in the Research, Achievements, and Successful Practices section of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World (KSAAEM).

In the ‘Women’s Award for Research, Achievements and Successful Practices,’ the first place was won by Dr. Hanan Al-Mahashir from Saudi Arabia, and the second place was won by Dr. Lobat Taghavi from Iran.

The 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, witnessed the awards ceremony of the third session of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World, in which 22 winners from 18 countries received KSAAEM prizes.

The Award is destined to encourage and stimulate interest in joint environmental action in the Islamic world and openness to global experiences in the protection of the environment from an Islamic perspective, while working towards preserving its resources and addressing sustainable development issues in general, through recognizing the merits of the efforts of individuals and institutions concerned with the management of natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations alike.

As for the ‘Women’s Award in Public Benefit Associations and NGOs,’ the first place was won by Dr. Wahiba Thuray Essedik from Libya, and the second place was won by Dr. Sharifa Abdul Carim Macarand from the Philippines.

This branch relates to women’s work and activities in protecting the environment and managing the environmental sector in its various forms, whether in scientific research, civil society in environmental education and fieldwork for NGOs, or in private or government sector institutions.

This branch aims to encourage women’s performance in environmental action and disseminate successful practices in institutions, associations, and personal experiences, especially in rural and agricultural communities.

This branch allocates to women three awards in the basic areas of environmental management, namely the Award for Women in Research, Achievements, and Successful Practices; The Women’s Award in Public Benefit Associations and NGOs; and the Women’s Leadership Award in private or government sector institutions. /T.T/

Iran’s women’s and men’s basketball teams defeated their rivals at the 2022 Asian Para Games on Saturday. The women’s team beat Laos 72-29. Iran had lost to Japan and Thailand in their first two matches.

Team Melli will play Cambodia on Tuesday. The men’s team beat China 72-42 in Group A at the HOC Gymnasium.

Iran, who had defeated Afghanistan 91-33 in their first match, will face the Philippines on Tuesday.

Wheelchair basketball is one of the events at the 2022 Asian Para Games, which takes place in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, from Oct. 19 to 27.

A total of 128 male athletes will represent Iran in 16 events and 82 female athletes will compete in 11 events.

Iran finished in third place in the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Para shooter Sareh Javanmardi will carry Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony, slated for Sunday.

Iran’s slogan in the 2022 Asian Para Games is “Faith, Iran, Honor” and the name of the delegation is “Children of Iran”.

Hangzhou 2022 will take place from Oct. 22 to 28. An estimated 3,000 athletes will compete across 22 sports. /T.T/

After winning collective UNESCO labels for its Persian gardens and caravanserais, Iran is now considering the same registrations for its top mansions, madrasas, public bathhouses, and pigeon towers, a tourism official said on Saturday.

“The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has adopted a policy to nominate chains of similar properties such as historical houses, madrasas, public bathhouses, and pigeon towers for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, IRNA quoted Seyyed Mahdi Mousavi-Movahed as saying on Saturday.

The advantage of a chain nomination is that by a possible registration on the UNESCO list, we may add arrays of the same properties to the country’s must-see destinations, the official noted.

Last month, a selection of 54 centuries-old roadside inns won a UNESCO label under the name: The Persian Caravanserai. Moreover, the UN body in 2011 gave a seal of approval to the Persian Garden, which includes nine gardens in as many provinces.

The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 27 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Iran reached some 2.93 million between January and July 2023, according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer.

Although the country’s performance as a tourism destination is still far below that of 2019, which was before the start of the Covid pandemic, it is improving slightly compared to last year’s statistics, ISNA reported.

However, the average statistics of Iran’s tourism from January to August 2023 is 50% lower than the same period in 2019 based on the barometer that tracks the sector’s post-pandemic recovery throughout 2023 up to the end of July. Accordingly, Iran attracted 181,423 foreign travelers in January; 327, 816 people in February; 363,547 in March; 381.769 in April, 537,837 in May; 551.142 in June; and 590, 350 in July.

Another statistic compiled by Iran’s tourism ministry indicates the country saw 3.35 million tourist arrivals in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), which soars 38 percent year on year. /T.T/

Iran Innovation and Prosperity Fund has set up a pavilion for the Iranian knowledge-based companies at Uzbekistan construction industry UzStroyExpo 2023.

The 12th International Exhibition Construction, Heating and Ventilation Systems is going to be held between October 25 – October 27, 2023 at the Venue of UzExpoCenter in Tashkent.

The pavilion of Iranian knowledge-based companies in the exhibition has been set up with the support of the Iranian Innovation and Prosperity Fund and will host 15 knowledge-based companies that will display their capabilities and achievements in the field of the construction industry, heating and air conditioning systems to the visitors.

One of the programs of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund is to help the development of the export market of knowledge-based companies with supporting their presence in permanent foreign exhibitions and also through securing their participation in prestigious international exhibitions in two forms of their independent presence and setting up a pavilion for them. / MNA/

The value of Iran’s exports to India increased nine percent in the first seven months of 2023, as compared to the same period of time in 2022, according to the data released by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Indian ministry put the worth of Iran’s exports to India at $393 million in January-August 2023, while the figure was $361 million in the same time span of 2022, IRIB reported.

Petroleum products, raw materials for dye production, and various fruits were the top exported goods to India in the first seven months of 2023. India imported $156 million of petroleum products, $105 million of raw materials for the production of dyes, and $70 million of fruits from Iran during this period.

As reported, the two countries’ trade dropped 27 percent to $1.171 billion in the first seven months of this year from $1.604 billion in the same period of the past year.

The decrease in trade between Iran and India in the first half of 2023 was caused by the drop in the country’s exports to Iran. India’s exports to Iran in the mentioned seven months experienced a 37 percent drop and reached $778 million. In the January-August of last year, India exported $1.243 billion of goods to Iran.

Rice had the largest share in India’s export basket to Iran in the first seven months of this year, accounting for $539 million of the country’s total exports to Iran in this period. Fruits with $30 million and tea with $18 million were the second and third top exported goods to Iran, respectively.

Based on the data previously released by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the value of Iran’s exports to India increased by 60 percent in 2022 as compared to the preceding year.

The Indian ministry put the worth of Iran’s exports to India at $653 million in 2022, while the figure was $409 million in 2021.

As reported, petroleum products were the major goods imported by India from Iran in the said months.

According to the mentioned data, the value of trade between Iran and India reached $2.5 billion in 2022, rising 48 percent from $1.693 billion in 2021.

During January-December 2022, India’s exports to Iran also increased by 44 percent to stand at $1.847 billion, while the figure was $1.284 billion in 2021.

Rice was India’s major product exported to Iran in the said period during which the country shipped $1.098 billion worth of rice to the Islamic Republic. /T.T/